PSL Govt officials made part of first ad hoc body

ISLAMABAD: Besides few officials of the Pakistan Super League, the first Board (ad hoc committees) for all the six provincial cricket associations announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also include some active government servants.

Central Punjab Association is headed by a bureaucrat, Abdullah Khan Sumbal. Naeem Atif Rana (Lahore Qalandars) and Javed Afridi (Peshawar Zalmi-KP Association) have also been made part of the first board. Ali Khan Tareen, who recently decided to concentrate on provincial association instead of Multan Sultans, has also been made part of the Southern Association.

“This is the first board and a sort of ad hoc committee which will be there for a period of one year. All these members cannot contest association’s elections that the body would go on to conduct. There is no bar on the government servant’s inclusion in the adhoc committee as these are temporary arrangements.

However, there are restrictions for the elected association which will be formed after following the process, a PCB official said. On the franchise officials’ inclusion, he said that the PCB had invited all and sundry to become part of the first board. “Those who responded were included in the ad hoc body.”

To a question about far less representation of women folk in the announced provincial committees, he said there was no clause in the ICC or PCB constitutions regarding women’s representation in such committees. “These officials have to conduct on-ground scrutiny and as such the males were preferred.”